What to do if a child is ‘left out’ by siblings

THE sibling relationship is rarely straightforward and it can be upsetting to see one of your children being excluded by the others.

It could happen because the child you see as ‘excluded’ is a different gender or age. Or it might be a simple case of different interests — you have three girls and two love dressing up, while the third’s a tomboy.

Or maybe the personalities of two of your children are a natural fit while the third is out of sync. “Children can’t fit with everybody. It just makes it more difficult when they all live together,” says psychologist Jennifer Ryan.